16/08/2026
Worked on a Public Holiday. What Happens to That Day?
Lately, several articled trainees have reached out to us with the same concern: their firms make them work on public holidays, but later refuse to adjust those days against their excess leave.
This has created confusion and, more importantly, a difference in how articles are treated across firms. Two students who joined Articleship around the same time can end up with very different numbers of holidays simply because their firms follow different practices.
As per the ICAN website, an articled trainee is entitled to up to 120 days of leave in three years, excluding public holidays. It also states that public holidays mean holidays declared by the Government of Nepal. For an article who works on a public holiday, compensatory leave depends on mutual consent between the Principal and the Trainee.
The concern here is that when a trainee has already worked on a public holiday, they naturally expect that day to be adjusted as compensatory leave. If the adjustment does not happen, it is generally not because the trainee does not want it, but because the Principal does not agree. Given the position of an articled trainee, it is also difficult for them to insist on such an adjustment.
We genuinely want to understand how this is being handled across different firms.
If you have faced the same issue, please reach out to us through DM or comment below and share your experience. We also request the CA fraternity, CA aspirants, practicing professionals and concerned members of ICAN to help us understand whether there is a proper way to address this issue and bring some clarity and consistency for articled trainees.
This is simply a request for fairness and clarity in the Articleship system.
